Strange “slow crash” in Texas: the moment a fighter plane crashes and its pilot ejects from the cockpit

A pilot American shot out of a fighter plane after a stranger accident slow moving in Texas on Thursday, a video shows.

The plane, a F-35Bdescended towards the ground from a hover in the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. The landing gear touched the ground, then bounced into the air before the aircraft crashed head-on and went into a spin, which appeared to be powered by the system providing its vertical thrust.

The pilot was then shot through the air for a seven-second descent to ground.

It is not clear if the pilot was injured in the crash. The general Patrick Ryderspokesperson for Pentagonsaid the plane is owned by Lockheed-Martinbut that it was driven by a “pilot from the government of USA”, without specifying whether they are military or civilian personnel.

Lockheed Martin said in a statement that the company is aware of the crash and that the pilot “ejected successfully,” but did not say whether he was injured. It referred questions about the pilot’s condition to the Defense Department’s Contract Management Agency.

“Safety is our priority and we will follow the appropriate investigative protocol,” Lockheed Martin said.

It is also unclear how the accident occurred. Other videos of similar aircraft show small bounces occurring once its landing gear hits the ground, though those are absorbed by the shock struts. In the incident on Thursday, the aircraft bounced as if it were landing on the moon.

The F-35B is the variant of marine corps of the advanced fighter aircraft capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings. That ability helps planes get in and out of places where space is limited, like assault ships.

Candateshia Pafford, a spokesman for the naval air station, said Lockheed is a tenant there and shares a runway. The company builds the plane at a neighboring facility, according to NBC DFW.

(c) 2022, The Washington Post

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